Premium
Particle atomic layer deposition of alumina for sintering yttria‐stabilized cubic zirconia
Author(s) -
O'Toole Rebecca J.,
Bartel Christopher J.,
Kodas Maila U.,
Horrell Alexa J.,
Ricote Sandrine,
Sullivan Neal P.,
Gump Christopher J.,
Musgrave Charles B.,
Weimer Alan W.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of the american ceramic society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.9
H-Index - 196
eISSN - 1551-2916
pISSN - 0002-7820
DOI - 10.1111/jace.16091
Subject(s) - sintering , materials science , yttria stabilized zirconia , cubic zirconia , chemical engineering , atomic layer deposition , dissolution , particle (ecology) , metallurgy , mineralogy , composite material , ceramic , layer (electronics) , chemistry , oceanography , engineering , geology
The addition of aluminum oxide (Al 2 O 3 ) as a sintering aid to yttria‐stabilized zirconia ( YSZ ) reduces the required densification temperature. Sintering aids are incorporated using a number of processes which can lead to ambiguity when determining the effect of the sintering aid on the densification mechanism. In this study, a novel method for sintering aid addition, Particle Atomic Layer Deposition ( ALD ), was used to deposit an amorphous Al 2 O 3 thin film on YSZ particles. Transmission electron microscopy confirmed the deposition of conformal Al 2 O 3 thin films on the surface of the YSZ particles. The addition of Al 2 O 3 to YSZ reduced the temperature at which densification began by ~75°C, and 2.2 wt% Al 2 O 3 addition resulted in a minimum activation energy for the intermediate stage of densification. This concentration is well in excess of the solubility limit of Al 2 O 3 in YSZ , showing that Al 2 O 3 does not enhance the densification of YSZ solely by dissolving into the YSZ lattice and activating volume diffusion. The addition of 0.7 wt% Al 2 O 3 with one Particle ALD cycle enhanced the ionic conductivity of YSZ by 23% after sintering at 1350°C for 2 hours, demonstrating that dense parts with high oxygen ion conductivities can be produced after sintering at reduced temperatures. One Particle ALD cycle is a fast, easily scaled‐up process that eliminates the use of solvents and has substantial cost/performance advantages over conventional processing.